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Species Directory

Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Overview ESA Protected Species Alaska Fisheries West Coast Fisheries Science Resources

Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Drawings of three types of salmon

Quick Facts

Species Include
Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Pink Salmon, Steelhead Trout
Region
Alaska, West Coast

About

School of adult chinook salmon Spring Chinook Salmon. Credit: Michael Humling, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Spring Chinook Salmon. Credit: Michael Humling, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Pacific salmon and steelhead have a dynamic life cycle that includes time in fresh and saltwater habitats. These fish are born in freshwater streams and rivers, migrate to coastal estuaries, then enter the ocean where they mature. They usually return as adults to the same streams where they were born to spawn and begin the cycle again.

NOAA Fisheries manages and protects several species of fish in the Salmonidae family in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Some are threatened or endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act. Others are targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries and are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to maintain healthy, sustainable population levels.

Pacific salmon and steelhead include the following species:

Chinook Salmon

  • ESA-protected Chinook salmon
  • MSA-managed Chinook salmon fisheries

Chum Salmon

  • ESA-protected chum salmon
  • MSA-managed chum salmon fisheries

Coho Salmon

  • ESA-protected coho salmon
  • MSA-managed coho salmon fisheries

Sockeye Salmon

  • ESA protected sockeye salmon
  • MSA-managed sockeye salmon fisheries

Pink Salmon

  • MSA-managed pink salmon fisheries

Steelhead Trout

  • ESA-protected steelhead trout

Learn about our work to manage and protect salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest:

Species in the Spotlight: Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook
The Sacramento River system is home to the only winter-run Chinook salmon in the world. This unique population is cut off from its historical spawning and rearing habitat, and faces many other threats, but efforts are underway to help it recover.
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    Up NextSpecies in the Spotlight: Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook
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    Up NextSalmon Bring a Better Life to Eastern Washington
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    Up NextA River Reborn: Restoring Salmon Habitat Along the Duwamish River
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    Up NextFrom Gravel Pits to Salmon Habitat
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    Up NextRestoring the Elwha
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    Up NextSalmon Creek Restoration
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    Up NextMiddle Columbia River Steelhead: Recovery and Restoration
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  9. Now Playing
    Up NextVeterans Work to Restore Salmon Habitat
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Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 11/02/2023


Featured News

Laughing woman in overalls with a cow;s resting head on her shoulder Nellie Geraghty. Courtesy Nellie Geraghty.
Feature Story

2024 Fisheries Art + Science Fellow to Highlight Salmon Reintroduction

West Coast
Wide plain with multiple streams and bodies of standing water Aerial view of the empty reservoirs that once held water behind major dams on the Klamath River. With removal of the dams, the reservoirs drained. A new monitoring plan will count and track salmon as they return to their historic habitat. Credit: Bob Pagliuco/Office of Habitat Conservation.
Feature Story

Teams and Technology Trace Klamath River Recovery by Tracking New Salmon Returns

West Coast
Dam and concrete fish ladder in a dry, gold, California landscape Daguerre Point Dam on the Yuba River has poorly functioning fish ladders that block most fish from reaching upstream habitat. A new NOAA Fisheries biological opinion calls for making the most of the fish ladders while they remain in place. Credit: NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Feature Story

Aging Debris Dam Jeopardizes Threatened and Endangered Species, NOAA Fisheries Finds

West Coast
Demolition of Copco No. 1 Dam (Credit: Whitney Hassett/Swiftwater Films) Demolition of Copco No. 1 Dam (Credit: Whitney Hassett/Swiftwater Films)
Feature Story

World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

West Coast
View More News
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